The cutting boards you use in the kitchen hide more dangers than you think (but there are solutions to reduce the risks)

A study highlights the hidden dangers in cutting boards, which can release microplastics into food. However, there are some simple precautions to follow to protect our health

Also a tool that we all consider indispensable in the kitchen, the cutting boardcould hide risks for our health. A study by the American Chemical Society (ACS), published in Environmental Science & Technologyhas in fact demonstrated that using cutting boards exposes us to millions of microplastics every year.

According to researchers, chopping vegetables on cutting boards that contain plastic materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene can cause microscopic particles to dislodge. These cutting boards, common in many kitchens, release millions of microplastics annually, depending on the material and frequency of use.

The release of microplastics obviously occurs when a knife comes into contact with the cutting board during use. The grooves created by intensive use further favor this phenomenon.

If you think that the problem is only plastic cutting boards, unfortunately, you are wrong. Tests carried out by experts have shown that wooden cutting boards also release microparticles (in this case wooden fibres), often in greater quantities than plastic ones.

The results of the study

The study results revealed that, during food preparation, the use of plastic cutting boards can generate between 14 and 71 million polyethylene microplastics and up to 79 million polypropylene microplastics each year. However, these estimates can vary based on several factors, such as:

Once ingested, microplastics can accumulate in the body, with possible negative health effects, such as inflammation and endocrine disruption.

With regard to wooden cutting boardsno annual estimates have been made, but researchers have observed that these can release 4 to 22 times more microparticles than plastic cutting boards, depending on the tests performed.

These microscopic particles, although present in significant quantities, do not appear to have significant toxic effects in the conditions tested, but this does not mean that the use of wooden cutting boards is risk-free, since the ingestion of microparticles could still have negative impacts on health in the long run.

How to protect ourselves from the risk of contamination

To reduce the risk of ingesting microplastics, it is essential to take some precautions:

Which cutting boards to choose

For several reasons, we don’t like plastic cutting boards. Better to choose cutting boards in: